Bboy, that was funny. LOL! I had no idea that you could make syrup from hickory nuts. It would have to be some super-tasty syrup for me to make that effort. Seriously, Lucky, I checked out some pics on the web and you're correct, it's a Mockernut, Carya tomentosa. Also, I must applaude you for finding a most creative use for hickory nuts. I grew up with pecan trees and they're my favorites...hickories are new to me. At this point, I think that we'll just try to save the tree and leave the nuts for the squirrels. After I shared your comments with the boss, he offered to put on his snake boots and clear a path for me so that I could try to save this tree. There's a nice Prunus serotina, Black Cherry just down from this one that is also covered with ivy. Thanks to GW, I just found a name for those trees in our area a month or so ago. I'd sure hate to lose that one. I guess the boss had better get out his machete knife again. (LOL) The big one up the street is already getting little cherries on it. Lucky, you know, I just may collect some of those hickory nuts when they start falling this year and give them a taste test. It will be a first for me. Thanks again to all! Bon

You will need a mist system to root M.f. This is one of the trickiest plants around to root from cuttings, but it can be done. I have rooted it by placing the cuttings beside my pond when I had a fountain with a lot of overspray. I didn't use rooting hormones, but I did dip my cuttings in a Vitamin B1 solution. HTH

Thanks again, Barb, for your helpful comments! Rebecca, that is great to hear that you also chose the Pental Carrara - and your kitchen is beautiful! I doubt I will be able to see a Pental Carrara slab until fabrication, but I think that's the way we're going....I also had thought our countertops were going to be the C. Stone London Grey, but I think the Pental sample is just as attractive. AGK, I would also suggest you look at Cambria Torquay, which is a carrara looking quartz. It is very nice looking. Some love it and others don't like the look as much, due to tiny "dots" within the pattern. I personally preferred the C.Stone samples for that reason, but photos I've seen of Torquay counters are lovely. I also considered neolith, but couldn't find fabrication info about it in my area - I've heard it makes a great counter.

Sue you made my mother crack up :) Yes, the canned food would be perfect behind the bed...we can haul it out every time I have to make soup for the little guy :oP Great idea you pest :oP PC I"m trying....LOL We'll see. lascatx...the question about squareness is an issue I'm concerned about. The granite and cabinet are both set level (I checked) and the granite does rest on the entire box so I don't currently see any gaping issues, but I do worry about the situation down below getting worse. I'm thinking that a fix much like Rm's is probably going to be our option, but if the cabinet isn't solid, that's just a bandage, and then, I do have another in the same situation, but it isn't showing wall board behind it yet. (Same tray shelves and pullouts) I will say, after this I really wish that Woodmode would have been able to do our kitchen. They couldn't do all of the custom pieces I needed (mostly our bay window) so we went Omega. I regret it, which is sad to say given the price of these stupid cabinets. My mother has been complaining about the plastic supports since she arrived LOL I think I'm going to reorder metal ones from an after market source. I like the idea of more than a piece of plastic holding up my dishes. I personally think the system is flawed. In a smaller cabinet, perhaps it might work, but when you pull the shelf out, it is front heavy if it's loaded. The two cabinets we have like this are about 50% of our storage, so being without them for a period of time is really an incovenience. Well we'll see. I'm honestly at the end of my rope on this remodel.